Ole Miss Headed to Raleigh Regional

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels (37-22) learned their postseason fate on Monday morning and will travel to North Carolina State for an NCAA Regional, where the Rebels will open up post-season play against the Tribe of William & Mary on Friday afternoon.

Ole Miss, the second seed, and third-seeded William & Mary will open the regional at 1 p.m. CT Fans can go to purchase tickets through the North Carolina State ticket office at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday at GoPack.com or by calling (919)-865-1510 on Wednesday morning.

It marks the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and the 11th under head coach Mike Bianco. The Rebels have advanced to the regional championship game or further in six of the last eight NCAA Tournament appearances under Bianco, including last season’s regional at Texas A&M.

This season, the Rebels posted a 37-22 record and finished sixth in the overall SEC standings and fourth in the SEC Western Division with a 15-15 conference mark.

Leading the way for the Rebels on the mound is right-hander Bobby Wahl, one of 22 candidates for national Pitcher of the Year. Wahl holds a 9-0 record and a 1.99 ERA through 15 starts this season and has only once left the game with his team trailing during the 2013 campaign.

Against nationally-ranked teams, Wahl holds an impressive 1.14 ERA and is 4-0 in those games and left the game with the Rebels tied or leading in four-of-five no decisions. He also posted three combined shutouts this season and a complete-game shutout of Tennessee.

At the plate, the Rebels have been led all season by junior catcher Stuart Turner. The junior is one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award, honoring the nation’s top catcher. He is also on the Dick Howser Award watch list for national player of the year, and is a member of the Golden Spikes Award watch list with Wahl.

Turner is hitting at a .381 clip with 50 RBI, five home runs and 44 runs scored to lead the Rebels in all three categories and is one of the top hitters in the Southeastern Conference. He has posted 27 multiple-hit games this season and holds 15 multiple-RBI games.

The junior is also throwing out base stealers at a 51 percent rate, catching 21-of-41 runners on steal attempts this season.

In the opening game of the regional, the Rebels will face a William & Mary team that fell in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship game this past weekend. The Tribe posted a 37-22 record and finished second in the CAA final standings.

First baseman Michael Katz leads the Tribe at the plate, hitting at a .365 clip with five home runs and 47 RBI, while second baseman Ryan Lindemuth is hitting at a .363 clip with four home runs and 47 RBI to help pace the offense. As a team, William & Mary hits at a .296 clip with 17 home runs, 330 RBI and 367 runs scored.

On the mound, John Farrell has gotten it done for the Tribe, posting an 11-2 record with a 2.80 ERA through 16 starts. Farrell picked up a win in game two of a season-opening series at Clemson this year and moved into the Friday night spot on the rotation the weekend of April 26. He has posted 86 strikeouts to only 13 walks and hitters are batting at a .259 clip against him this season.

The Rebels will then face either NC State or Binghamton in game two of the regional depending on the outcome of the first day’s two games.

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